It seems Guy Pearce is liking this whole blockbuster thing. While “Lockout” didn’t quite make waves at the box office (okay, it barely made a splash) it was clear he had a ball of a time as the wisecracking lead, but now he’s joining an established franchise in a role that won’t be as showy, but will be crucial.

The Warren Ellis “Extremis” storyline has long been revealed to be the foundation of “Iron Man 3,” and with casting ramping up, Pearce has landed the role of geneticist Aldrich Killian in the film. So who is he? We have no idea either but we hit Google and thanks to this Marvel Universe page we learn that he works at Futurepharm with Maya Hansen (in a role that we presume will be cast shortly) where they develop the Extremis virus that essentially forces the human brain to rewire it’s healing center and become stronger as a result. The plan was to take it to the military, but they wind up stealing Extremis from Futurepharm and putting it in the hands of terrorists.